Top Five Stories of 2009

I am not going to do the typical scandal ridden or famous person bio piece that is so common this time of year. I don't want to pander to the typical review of big stories that we all have seen this week. I want to list the top 5 things that affected me this year. This is the World According to Pedro and I am Pedro.

Number 5 - My family (some of them - they know who they are) started smoking again. Now I am a reformed smoker from way back. I quit several years ago because I thought I was going to die if I kept going. It hurts to see them doing this to themselves. But they are adults and have free will. I hope they will find other ways to channel this need in the coming year.

Number 4 - The disappearance of Susan Powell. This has hit me hard because there is a body out there that hasn't been found yet (my opinion - of course we are all innocent until proven guilty). This, also my opinion, is just another bad marriage gone wrong except there are family members who are in limbo, clinging to the hope that Susan will walk through the door some day. I don't think that will happen and the longer this goes on the more uncertainty these folks will feel. I feel sorry for them and the pain they need to go through every minute of every day.

Number 3 - The Death of Billy Mays at 50. He was the latenight TV pitchman with the black beard and screaming voice that advertised such things as Oxy Clean, Mighty Putty and the Awesome Auger. Who didn't want these products after Billy enthusiastically extolled their virtues and demonstrated their herculean claims. As a person who worked in an industry based on sales I saw good and bad salesmen and women. The truly great were able to get their point across without criminal claims and were always able to humble themselves when needed. I appreciate a great salesperson with a talent for the dramatic. The era of infomercials has lost a great voice.

Number 2 - The U of U beating Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. I know this was almost a year ago but it was in 2009 and this was a sweet, sweet victory for a school that, until the Urban Myer dynasty, toiled in the shadow of the Smurfs of BYU. I went to the U (the real University of Utah) when BYU was named national champs. I suffered through the years when BYU was sending premier quarterback after premier quarterback to the NFL and all the U players did was watch the NFL on TV. In my mind the 60 minutes where the U was dominating Alabama in the Sugar Bowl was even bigger than being ranked number 2 in the nation. It was truly sweet to see the U come up big in a huge game on the national stage.

My Number One Event of 2009 - Is a three way tie -
1. The birth of my sixth grandchild, Saige, in February - She is the most calm child I have seen. It must be because I am getting old and see only they good things in my grandchildren, but she usually just sits there (now she is 10 months old and is very aware of her surroundings) and observes while the other 5 run rampant around the house. Her sister uses her as a cushion when she lays on the floor and Saige doesn't complain. She is wise beyond her years, and
2. The announcement that our 7th grandchild is on the way. What is better than 6 grandchildren? Seven. We knew something was up when the kids asked to see us and they said the grandkids had something to tell us. It was a really fun evening, and
3. My Wife Earning Her Masters Degree - We got married young and she worked two jobs and took care of three small kids when I went to school. I didn't think the disparity in our education was a factor in our relationship but I can see how it might have been. Now she has earned this distinction, the first of her siblings to do so. I am so proud of her I can hardly contain myself. Of course my way is to kid her about it by saying stuff like "You are doing that now because you have a Masters Degree" Wonderful job honey.

That is it, the World According to Pedro in a nutshell (no pun intended) for 2009. May you all have a prosperous and wonderfilled 2010.